The aim of Pastoral Care is to help, encourage and develop all pupils as individuals, as young people and as students.

Every teacher is responsible for Pastoral Care in every class.

It is Pastoral Care policy that every pupil should have continuous points of reference (i.e. same Tutor & Head of Year) for advice, encouragement and trust over the five years at school.

The chief Pastoral Care Officers are:

The Principal

Vice Principal

Pastoral Co-ordinator: Mrs Ca. Devlin

Heads of Year

Year 8

Mrs O. Kearney

Year 11

Mrs D. Shields

Year 9

Mr C. Meenagh

Year 12

Mrs F. Devlin

Year 10

Mrs N. Quinn

Year 13/14

Mrs M. McKernan

The Head of Year is the leader of the Tutor Team. The H.O.Y. is responsible, through and with the Tutor Team, for the wellbeing of every child in the year group.

The personal and social development of every child

The student’s whole experience of school should continually contribute to his/her personal and social development. However the relationships between pupil and Tutor and between pupil and Head of Year are especially important. Each Tutor is responsible for his/her tutor group under the guidance of the Head of Year.

The academic progress of every child.

It is the Head of Year’s responsibility through the Year Team to ensure that each child is learning as effectively as possible. The Head of Year shall therefore scrutinise, with the Year Tutors, the results of each monthly assessment, praise those doing well, identify under-achievers and set targets for improvement.

The extra curricular provision for the year group as a whole.

Extra curricular activities are an essential part of a good school. The Head of Year encourages extra curricular activities in the year group.

Cara System

Every Year 8 pupil is given a special friend or ‘Cara’ from Year 12. This helps each pupil to settle in quickly and gives him/her a feeling of security during this time of transition.

Anti-Bullying

We believe that every child has the right at school to be free from intimidation of any kind and that everychild has the duty to respect each persons, property, time and point of view.

Demonstrate by example the high standards of personal and social behaviour we expectof our pupils.

D

iscuss bullying with all classes, so that every pupil learns about the damage it causes to both the child who is bullied and the bully. They will also learn the importance of telling a teacher when it happens.

Be alert to signs of distress and other possible indications of bullying.

L

isten to children who have been bullied, take what they say seriously and act to support and protect them.

Report suspected cases of bullying to the Head of Year.

Follow up any complaint by a parent about bullying and report back promptly and fully on the action which has been taken.

Deal with observed instances of bullying promptly and effectively, in accordance with agreed procedures.

Drugs Education

The school’s programme aims to educate children about prevention and protection in regard to drugs. A copy of our Drugs Policy is available from the school.

Relationships and Sexuality Education

This is currently a five year modular programme delivered through Religious Education, Learning for Life and Work, Home Economics, Pastoral Care, Science and P.E. As a Catholic school we ensure that all issues are dealt with in a Christian and Catholic framework.

Child Protection

School Policy

We in St Colm’s aim to provide a caring, supportive and safe environment.

It is our responsibility to ensure that all individuals are protected from the risks of possible abuse.

Any parent/ guardian with a child safety concern may contact the designated or deputy designated child protection officer.

The problem of child abuse, if it occurs, will not be ignored by anyone in our school.

All schools are required by law to have a Child Protection Policy. A detailed policy document is available from the school.

Designated Child Protection Teacher- Mrs Ca. Devlin.

Deputy Designated Child Protection Teacher- Mrs R. McKenna.

Attendance

Daily attendance at school is essential.Days lost are very difficult to make up.

Legally, parents are responsible for their child’s attendance at school.

Total attendance of all pupils on roll as percent of possible days 2014/15 is 95%.

Special Education Needs

St. Colm’s curriculum caters for pupils of all abilities. Pupils with special educational needs will be accessed by the SENCO Mrs P. Glass and provision made according to individual needs. A full copy of this policy is available from the school on request.

Parent/Teacher Meetings and Appointments

Appointments can be made to meet the Principal, Vice Principal, Pastoral Co-ordinator, Head of Year, Careers Guidance Teacher or any other member of staff, Monday-Thursday 3.10–4.15. There will be a parent / teacher meeting for each year group once per year.